


The Cure

by AliceDoll



Category: Big Bang (Band), K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Curses, Dark Fantasy, Drama & Romance, F/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-13
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-04 05:01:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4126308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceDoll/pseuds/AliceDoll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Many years have passed since G-Dragon was cursed with his fate of eternal life and insatiable hunger. After ridding himself of the one responsible for his anguish, he takes his place at the top of the food chain using his newfound power to search day and night for a way to return to his mortal self. Years of searching finally become fruitful when he discovers the diary of the "First". After piecing together the deciphered entries, he finds the missing piece to his puzzle. A girl born of pure blood can save him. Question is, can he find her? And if he does, will she truly be able to save him? </p><p>(VAMPIRE AU)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

A lifeless body, her eyes widened and staring into nothingness, dropped to the ground from the arms of her captor with a heavy thump. The autumn breeze cut through the courtyard with a sharp chill, rustling the surrounding trees. The full moon, surrounded by twinkling stars, lit up the otherwise clear, dark sky. A shadowed figure wiped the shining blood staining his full lips as he released a loud, throaty groan that echoed through the silence. The pale moonlight shimmered across his red hair, reflecting his current emotions perfectly.

He spit the blood out of his mouth, repulsed by the bitter taste. She had lacked any kind of sweetness, her blood matching her belligerent attitude towards him before he drained her. He scowled at the ground and kicked the girl's body, rolling her down the small hill and into the pond. She wasn't the one he was looking for. His informant had been wrong once again and brought him another useless tart to feast upon. He was running out of time and had to find the proper girl or everything was going to have been for nothing.

He bit down on his lower lip and stomped the ground like a child throwing a tantrum after not getting his way. Snapping his fingers, he summoned his companion from the shadows. A man dressed in a casual black suit materialized from the protection of the shadows.  This man was about an inch taller than him and bowed, asking in a deep voice what was needed of him.

"T.O.P, make sure Daesung chooses the correct girl this time. I can't keep having useless, dead women in my front yard," he said as he placed his hand on his forehead and paced nervously around the dew covered grass, clearly frustrated by Daesung’s most recent mistake.

T.O.P reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his cellphone as he steadily walked down the hill to retrieve the drained, pale body. Using his shoulder to hold the phone, he hoisted up her body as the phone dialed out. He knew the severity of their situation and that G-Dragon continuing to stress would just cause more issues for everyone involved. The call went to voicemail after multiple rings causing T.O.P to sigh. Just great. The most important informant they had, and they couldn't even get him on the phone.

T.O.P, who was exasperated by Daesung’s refusal to answer his phone, left him an urgent message, his voice filled with irritation. As he let his phone drop on top of the girl's navel, the call dropped mere moments later. With strength and ease, he lugged her heavy body up the hill, watching G-Dragon bite his nails and continue his anxious pacing. It wasn't like him to be so worried about something, but T.O.P understood the reasoning behind his friend’s strange actions. They had to find the right girl before the next blood moon or everything they had strived for was going to disappear.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

The summer heat made a small apartment in Seoul stifling for the young woman fanning herself profusely and hanging out of the open window. Thanks to her deadbeat ex boyfriend, her air conditioning wasn’t working anymore, and she had to suffer through the sweltering heat until the maintenance man finally decided to get off of his lazy ass and fix it. She was spending her last day off awaiting the arrival of a man that probably wouldn’t even show up.

“Why are men such idiots?” she said annoyed as she walked away from the window that gave her no relief from the heat.

She opened the door of her freezer and stuck her head in as the cool air brushed against her flushed cheeks. She felt blissful like she was swimming in an arctic river and was debating leaving it open for a while to at least help cool her kitchen down. Upbeat pop music blared from her pocket as the vibrations reverberated against her outer thigh. Reaching into the tight pocket of her restricting shorts, she pulled out the obnoxious phone and answered it without taking the chance to see who was calling.

“Hello?” she asked in a false, sweet tone accompanied by a fake smile.

“Sora? Do you think you could come into work at the café right now? Eunbi walked out on me earlier, and we are getting super packed. I have tried calling everyone else, and they are refusing to answer my calls. Please? I’ll treat you to something special tonight,” her manager begged on the other side of the phone, desperation clear in her voice.

Sora sighed as she contemplated her situation. She could go into work and make some much needed extra money, or she could stay at home and hope that he would actually show up today and fix her air conditioner. Speaking of air conditioners, if she went into work then she would be in the cool, refreshing café. Plus her manager, Hyejin, was a nice woman and was promising her a special treat. That was it. She had made up her mind.

“Of course, Hyejin! I’ll get ready right now and be there soon,” she said, thickening her sweet voice.

“Thank you so much, Sora! You won’t regret this! I owe you a free day,” Hyejin said, relieved that someone had finally taken the bait to come into work.

“You’re welcome. See you soon! Bye bye!”

She ended the call, excited to be out of her apartment for the day and curious about what her special treat would be this time. Maybe Hyejin would make her some of the melon bingsoo that she liked so much. Her mouth watered at the thought of her favorite summertime treat as a smile crept upon her face. Her foul mood had almost completely vanished, replaced by the sheer hope of digging into a tasty treat once she reached work.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Hyejin, I need two Americanos and two orders of apple bread,” Sora called out to her from across the front counter.

“Coming right up!” she responded as she began making the drinks.

The bell rang at the front of the shop moving Sora’s attention to the door. She flashed them a warm smile and welcomed the group into the restaurant. Two men, dressed head to toe in black, snatched a seat in the corner of the café, not responding to Sora’s welcome. The other patrons whispered among themselves as they stared at the mysterious men sitting in the back. They were all curious who these men, who covered their faces with dark sunglasses, were.

They removed the obstructing glasses revealing perfect oval eyes that complimented their fair skinned faces. Their features were striking and every woman in the restaurant turned their heads, captivated by their looks. The shorter of the two men, flashed their audience a confident smile and winked over to them. The women, who happened to be looking his way, instantly became smitten and fanned themselves as their hearts raced in their chests.

His companion flipped his long, white, swooping bangs out of his eyes, giving him a better look at the women in the restaurant. When he made eye contact with one, he shot them a pleasantly perfect smile that accented his softer facial features. Unlike his companion, his features weren’t as chiseled but contained a boyish charm that instantly caught the eye of another set of patrons in the shop. The women conversed among themselves, curious if these men were part of some new idol group debuting soon.

Sora, watching the embarrassing exchange in front of her, sighed as she pulled two menus from the counter. After dropping off her previous table's order, who didn't even notice her, she put on a her go-to smile and placed the menus in front of the gentlemen. She asked, sweetly, if she could get them anything to drink or if they wanted to look over the menus first. Both of them turned their attention to her, staring her down like a dog in heat. Nervous about the interaction, she quickly fled from the table as soon as she received their drink order.

Hyejin watched her coworker curiously as she walked behind the counter and started making the drinks herself. Sora hated being behind the counter and preferred being on the floor. She loved the interaction with the customers, and she was very efficient, easily able to handle every person on the floor by herself. Seeing her making drinks was a shock to Hyejin.

"Is everything okay?" Hyejin placed her hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Yeah. Just a bit creeped out by those two pretty boys in the corner. Something just seems off about them." Her hands shook as she worked on their drinks.

Hyejin glanced over at them from behind the counter and inspected them. Minus the overly drab outfits, they looked completely normal to her. In fact, they were a couple of the most handsome guys she had seen come into the shop in a long time. Maybe Sora had spent too much time in her heated apartment, and she wasn't thinking clearly. Or maybe her recent breakup was still bothering her. Whichever one it was, Hyejin was unsure.

"If you want, I can take those to them since you made them,” Hyejin offered sincerely.

“No. I’ve got this. I can’t let some man get the best of me,” she responded, determination sparking in her eyes.

“If you’re sure...I would be more than happy to take them their order,” she said, apprehensive about Sora waiting on them. She was known to tell people how she felt about them if she felt threatened, and Hyejin didn’t want her to scare off another group of customers.

“I can do this. I’ll just ignore my gut feeling on this.” Her smile returned as she picked up the freshly made, hot tea and carried them to their table.

Both of the men sitting at the table greeted her with smiles as she set down their beverages in front of them. The man with the dark hair--and wickedly handsome smile--reached out and grabbed her hand as she pulled it away from his tea. His chocolate eyes gazed up at hers which widened at the shock of his hand on hers. Overwhelming jealousy filled groans escaped from the surrounding women. Why was she getting preferential treatment?

Sora broke the awkward eye contact as she pulled her hand back from his firm grasp. She took her hand in her own and brought them up to her chest. Ignoring her racing heart, she asked them if they had figured out what they would like to eat yet. Both men looked at each other almost as if they were communicating telepathically. After moments of painful silence, they gave each other a gentle nod.

“Couldn’t we just eat you?” the dark-haired man asked in a teasing tone.

Sora, realizing that he was toying with her, grew angry. Her fear flew out the window as heat built up in her cheeks and her face took on a red color, matching her work uniform shirt. She took in deep breaths in a failing attempt to calm herself down.  A struggled smile swept across her face as she nodded to them before walking away.

“I’m taking a break,” she called out in a flustered tone as she threw her apron on the counter and stomped to the back room.

“What do you think, Seungri?” the man with the flawless, white hair asked his companion as he sipped his tea.

“When I held her hand, I got a flash of her future. I saw her standing next to G-Dragon underneath a red moon. She may be the one, Daesung. You should let T.O.P know so he can get off of our case about this. You should also let Taeyang know. He’s going to need to research this girl. Make sure to get a picture before we leave.”

Daesung reluctantly put down the tea he was thoroughly enjoying and dialed the number on his phone. He patiently waited, tapping his foot against the underside of the table. Humming the tune from his favorite song, he listened to the call go to voicemail. He was pretty sure it was payback for not answering the night before.

After sitting through T.O.P’s  voice message, he left a simple message stating, “We found her.”

 

  
  
  


 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Sora, delighted at the departure of her harassers, returned from her much needed break. The rest of her shift was rather uneventful and before she knew it, it was closing time. She closed the door after seeing the last of her customers out. Paranoid, she looked down both ends of the street, making sure that no one was there. Once she was sure that the coast was clear, she locked the door and went back to cleaning off her tables.

Every table was cleaned except for one. She had avoided it the rest of the day claiming that it felt eerie. In actuality, she just didn't want to be reminded of the gorgeous eyes and the warm touch of the handsome man from before. She wasn't the type to trouble herself with the idea of a man, but he was different. The moment their hands met she felt an odd connection to him, almost as if she knew him from somewhere. She couldn't put her finger on it, and she knew it was going to eat at her unless she tried to forget about it.

"Unnie!" she called out to Hyejin, who rolled her eyes at her.

She only ever called her that when she wanted something. "Yes, Sora?"

"Lets go out to drink and celebrate a successful day!" she called out as she hesitantly cleaned off the sexy duo's table.

"You have work tomorrow, young lady. Besides, it's Friday so everyone is out celebrating the end of their work week. I'd rather not get hit on again," she said as she finished counting down the register.

"Aww. You're no fun. You tell me that I need to go out and date, but you won't go with me. You'd rather leave cute, little me to the clutches of some handsome, rich man," Sora responded in a higher pitched tone.

Hyejin couldn't control her fits of laughter. She slumped down over her register and slapped the counter repeatedly. Catching her breath, she informed Sora that there was nothing cute about her or her temper and a rich man would pay her to take her back.

Sora ignored her, quickly finishing the table so she could get away from it and its memories. Out of the corner of her eye, light reflected off of something on the booth. Curiosity grabbed her and pulled her to the mystery item. Reaching onto the seat, she grasped the item in her hand and held it up to the dim light. Between her first two fingers was a silver coin that was foreign to her. In the center stood a lone, circular, red jewel. Light reflected through it, creating the shape of a crimson crescent moon on the wall. Mesmerized by the curious mark, she extended her free hand out to touch it.

"Sora, can you come check this deposit for me?" Hyejin called out to her.

Sora broke free from her trance and dropped the coin into the front pocket of her apron. As she checked the deposit for accuracy, Hyejin turned off every light in the building. Confirming the amount, she placed the money in the safe underneath the counter. Double checking every door, they were finally fully closed up and could leave.

Sora was unable to convince Hyejin to go eat with her so she dropped the subject. She really didn't want to go by herself, but she didn't feel like cooking either. Maybe one of her friends would be free? She stepped out of the cafe, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Hyejin locked the door behind them and waved to Sora before leaving. Sora gave her a half wave, not even looking up from her phone as she sent out multiple text messages.

To her dismay, every one of her friends were busy. Damn. Why couldn't she be like her other friends and make something of herself? She was stuck working in a cafe while her other friends were busy going to school to better their lives. If only she hadn't dropped out because of that idol wannabe bastard.

Sighing, she slipped her phone in her apron that she had forgotten to remove. She walked down the street, kicking rocks and debris along the way. The bus stop was in her sights, but the bus that took her home would be another hour.

"I might as well stop and get something to eat. I'm in the mood for American food today. Maybe Brooklyn is still open? A nutella and marshmallow milkshake sounds great right about now," she thought to herself out loud.

"You know what else sounds great right now?" a voice called out to her.

She quickly turned around frantically searching for the source of the voice. The streets were empty, streetlights flickering along the road. No one was around her. She continued to walk forward, still looking behind her. She bumped into someone, turning her head sharply. A shadowed man towered above her, revealing sharp canines as he flashed her a smile.

"You," he said laughing at her.

Gasping, she turned back around only to be met by another figure. They both closed in on her; she had nowhere else to go. She opened her mouth to scream only to have a cold hand clamp down over it. She squirmed as the other man grabbed her arms and pinned her in place. They pushed her against the side of a neighboring shop that had already closed for the night.

The man, restricting her mouth's movement, turned her head to the side. The veins in her neck popped out at him almost as if they were inviting him to partake in the nectar they held. His canines grew larger as he brought his head down. Her eyes widened as she kicked wildly, screaming as loud as she could through his hand.

Inches from her neck, a deep, masculine voice called out to them, "What do you two think you're doing?"

Both men froze in place as sweat trickled down their perfectly chiseled faces. They knew that voice, and the person behind it was someone to be reckoned with.  He motioned for them to leave. They both bowed to him and ran off into the other direction, holding their scowls until they were out of sight.

Breathing heavily, Sora slid down the wall until she was planted on the ground. What in the world just happened? Were they...? No. They couldn't be. A hand presented itself, offering its assistance. She took the hand and lifted up from the ground,  brushing off the back of her pants.

Glancing up from the hand, her eyes widened. In front of her was the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on. He could have easily given the sexy duo from earlier a run for their money and his voice was pleasantly smoky. Her heart jumped in her chest as their eyes met. She felt like he was staring into her very soul, and stood completely captivated by those dark eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Y--yes. I am okay now. I don't know who they were. They just came out of nowhere," she said flustered. Too many men were catching her off guard today.

She didn't like it, but the longer she stared in his eyes, the calmer she became. Suddenly, she had no cares in the world. Euphoria flowed over her body as she felt like she was on cloud nine. He consoled her, letting her know that everything was going to be okay, and that she should just rest. Believing that his words were the best idea she had ever heard of, she passed out and slumped over into his waiting arms.

Lifting her up bridal style, he  walked down the empty street. Cradling her carefully, he made sure not to disturb her peaceful slumber. Spotting his car, he quickened his pace. The passenger door opened as he approached it. Gently, he placed her in the seat and buckled her into the seat belt. After making sure she was well and secure, he closed the door as quietly as possible. He stepped into the backseat, closed his own door, and motioned for the driver to go.

The man sitting next to him flipped his white bangs out of his face. He was looking for the right way to ask his question without being scolded. When no real answer came to mind, he just spoke freely.

"Hyung, why were they there?"

T.O.P remained silent, staring out of the window with his chin resting on his hand. Daesung was sure that he had said something wrong. Thankfully for Daesung, after moments of silence, T.O.P spoke.

"I don't know. Ask Taeyang to do research on it. It isn't like them to feed in public like that. Someone could have seen them. It's not like they care though. They are probably just finding any way to lash out at G-Dragon."

"I see. It's a bit coincidental that they picked her of all people though," Daesung said as he quickly sent Taeyang the message.

"I don't believe in coincidences. Everything happens for a reason. I'm just not sure what their reason was yet."

"In any case, I think we finally found the right one. We'll know once we drop her off at the mansion. I feel a bit bad for her though. She doesn't get the nice dinner and date like all of the others. She is currently riding a T.O.P high and will be hungover in the morning. That’s our lady killer for you though," the driver, Seungri, pitched in, laughing at the last statement.

T.O.P turned his head and shot him a dirty look. It wasn't like he wanted to use his powers on her, but he didn't have much of a choice. They were in a hurry and failure was not an option anymore. He knew that it was the quickest way to incapacitate her without causing more of a scene or scaring her more than she already was.

Sora stirred in her seat, her eyes rapidly moving underneath her eyelids as she began to dream.

"Hello?" she called out into the dark abyss surrounding her.

Sora stepped forward, her footsteps echoing in the darkness. The floor formed a checkerboard underneath her feet with each step she took. Shadowed figures rose from the ground and surrounded her. Frightened by what they would do to her, she moved to run but her feet were planted into the white square she stood on. Sweat trickled down her neck as she stood there anxious.

The figures became visible, turning into the handsome trio. They all stood perfectly still, unable to move like herself. Relieved that it was just them, she called out to them, but her voice hung in her throat when another person presented himself to her. Bewildered, she called out his name as tears of anguish streamed down her face. At that moment, she realized she was dreaming and fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands. The world around her faded into the darkness, leaving her in the middle alone.

Sora's eyes opened slowly, squinting to adjust to the bright light that filled the room. Her head pounded as waves of nausea overtook her. She covered her head with the blanket she was wrapped in, trying to make the dizziness subside. Convinced that she had blacked out from drinking too much, she sighed. She couldn't remember anything from the night before, and it bothered her. At least the bed was like a giant, fluffy marshmallow so she was comfortable, and the sheets were silky smooth and soft. Wait. The bed was soft? Her bed was the most uncomfortable thing ever. It was a hand me down that she had received from her mother, and was harder than the floor. That didn't make any sense.

Despite her raging migraine, Sora jolted forward and looked around her. As her blurred vision subsided, she noticed that the room was definitely not her own. She couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. Shelves, filled with shoes, lined two of the walls from top to bottom. they were stacked perfectly and neatly.The remainder of the room was pristine, lacking dust or dirt of any kind. It looked like no one ever lived there.

"Oh no," she said in a raspy tone.

She gripped the blanket in her hand and examined it. It was black with a white dragon emerging from the center. The sheets underneath her matched the same design. She couldn’t figure out whether she was in a man’s bed or a woman’s. At this point, even with the stigmata tied to being homosexual in Korea, she still would have preferred the female’s bed. Plus, being a girl, she could always just claim it was a friend and be done with it.

She reached down to grab her phone from her apron pocket, but it wasn’t there; the entire apron was missing. Looking over her person, she pulled at the clothes. These weren’t hers, and she had no clue who they belonged to. Even her underwear had been switched out.

“Okay,” she started as she took in deep breaths to calm herself down before she had a panic attack. “I am in someone else’s bedroom wearing someone else’s clothes in someone else’s house. What the hell happened to me last night?”

Fighting the pulsating headache, she dug deep into her mind for her memories. Flashes of the previous night appeared before her eyes: the incident at the café, getting manhandled by those two guys with the odd teeth, and getting rescued by her handsome savior with the amazing voice. Unable to remember anything past that point, she assumed that maybe she had went out with him and drank too much. Maybe this was his house that she was in. If so, he had a strange collection of shoes that rivaled all of her friends combined.  

A knock sounded at the door pulling Sora from her thoughts. Unsure of what to say, she remained silent. When she didn’t respond, a woman with long hair came into the room. The woman looked shocked to see that Sora was awake. She bowed and greeted her using polite grammar. Sora greeted her back and watched as the woman crossed the room towards the bed.

“Did you sleep well, Miss?” she asked.

She caught a good glimpse of the woman’s outfit and realized why she was using such a high level of politeness. She wore a black dress that billowed out at the bottom and stopped just above her knees where they met white knee high socks. A white, frilly apron lied across the top creating a cute contrast against the darkness. She was a maid.

“Yes, thank you. Umm...where am I?” she asked as she looked around the room again.

“You’re in the Master’s home. You were brought here last night by his companions.”

 _‘I guess that means that Mr. Handsome isn’t the owner. Then why was I brought here?’_ she thought as the maid walked over to the dresser drawer and opened it. From within the drawer, she pulled out a familiar set of clothes. Sora instantly recognized them as her work uniform. What were they doing in the drawer?

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Yes, ma’am.” She placed the clothes on top of the dresser.

“Who is your ‘master’ anyway?” Sora asked, using air quotes.

“G-Dragon is the master over this estate. He is the leader of our clan.” She continued sifting through the clothes, removing Sora’s underclothes from the pile.

“G-Dragon? What clan?” Her head was still spinning, and she was unsure that she had heard the woman correctly.

“You don’t know?” she asked, confused by Sora’s question. She was unsure about what was going on with this girl, but it wasn’t her place to ask. “He’s the leader of the country’s biggest vampire clan.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Sora was planted to the bed, mouth gaping open. She just said vampires, didn't she? There was no way. Vampires only existed in crappy romance novels and dramas. She must have been hearing things.

After popping her ears and making sure they were clear, she smiled awkwardly. "Wait. I'm pretty sure I heard you wrong. I could have sworn you said vampires."

"That's because I did," she said in an as a matter of fact tone. 

"Oh..." The gravity of the situation sunk in.

"Master has informed me that I am to bring you down for breakfast. Please strip," she said nonchalantly. 

Sora slid off of the bed and stood in a daze as the words marinated in her mind. 

'Bring me for breakfast...bring me for...breakfast...Breakfast! They plan on eating me!'

Panic overwhelmed her senses, and she became irrational. Sora lifted the pillow from the bed and tossed it at the maid as hard as she could. Without even flinching, the maid reached up at caught it with supernatural ease. She looked up from the clothes as her eyes turned red. 

"You're one of them too!" Sora yelled out as she stumbled backwards towards the door. "Sorry but I'm not staying to become somebody's meal." 

A throaty growl echoed from the maid creating a high pitched scream to escape from the frightened Sora as she turned her back to the woman and ran. She fumbled with the door as the maid lunged forward. The door opened, hitting the maid in the face and forcing her backwards. Sora used the opportunity to run out of the room and into a large corridor. 

"Shit! Where should I go?" 

She looked to her left, to her right, and then back again to her left. Hearing the groaning of the maid intensify from inside the room, forced her to chose a direction. She sprinted down the left side of the dark corridor. She reached the end of the hall and stood face to face with a dead end.

"You have got to be kidding me!" she yelled out in a panicked shrill.

Growling echoed down the hallway making Sora's hair stand up on end. Slowly, she turned around and glanced down the hall. The maid stood at the opposite end, her red eyes glowing brightly in the darkened room. With unfathomable speed, the maid rushed towards her. 

Sora let out another scream as she fumbled with the doorknob of the first door she could reach. She stepped into the room and slammed the door shut behind her. Pressing her back against the door, she reached down and locked the doorknob. As she held her breath, she listened carefully for the maid's footsteps. When the other side of the door went silent, she sighed.

"I think she's gone," she whispered to herself. "I need to find another way out before she breaks in here."

Turning her attention away from the door, Sora scanned the room. She squinted in an attempt to make out anything in the darkness. Her hand seductively grazed the wall, searching for a light switch. When one was nowhere to be found, she walked further into the room.

There had to be a window in this room that she could open. Maybe that would be her escape route? While lost in thought, her bare foot slammed into something hard, invoking a loud yelp from her. She hopped around on her uninjured foot, gripping the injured one in her hand. Her foot throbbed as pain spread throughout her entire foot and started to swell. 

This was just her luck. At this rate, she was going to be captured and eaten. Sweat trickled down her face and neck as anxiety filled her mind. She had to think of something quickly, or she could kiss her life goodbye. 

Out of the surrounding shadows, arms wrapped around her, gripping her tightly. Before she could scream again, a hand cupped her mouth. As she squirmed in the person's grasp, light suddenly filled the room and blinded her.

"Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you," a soothing voice flowed through her mind. 

This feeling was familiar to Sora, almost identical to her previous experience. He released her mouth and turned her around to face him. Their eyes met and her heart jumped in her chest. It was Mr. Handsome again. 

"Isn't it a bit early to be screaming?" he asked her, his voice still smooth as silk.

"I'm sorry. I was running from a vampire..." The thought reentered her mind, reminding her that he was also one of them. Even though he had saved her before, could she trust him now?

Despite his hold on her, he could feel it's effectiveness waning. Her willpower was stronger than his power. He had never encountered anyone before that could fight him off. Maybe they had gotten it right this time around, and she really was the one they had been searching for.

He knew that if he wanted to continue this, he would have to change his tactics. His eyes wandered down her body and stopped at her swelling foot. That would explain the yelling before. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't be able to outrun them. Not like she had much of a chance uninjured, but now, she definitely didn't have one.

"You bruised and possibly fractured your foot. Even if you tried to run away, you would be captured again, and your injury would become worse. You can run if you would like, or you can let me carry you back to your room so you can get dressed. The choice is yours," he offered her in his normal tone. 

Noticing the change in his tone, she winced as she stepped down on her foot. Biting down on her lip to avoid releasing another painful yelp, she nodded. Picking up on her cues, he crouched down and told her to get onto his back. She fell forward onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Placing his hands underneath her knees, he lifted her off of the ground and carried her out of the room. To his surprise, she was lighter than she looked.

Tapping her foot against the carpet, the maid waited outside the door with her back to the wall. Her eyes had changed back to their normal chocolate color, but the scowl remained. T.O.P set Sora down on her bed and ordered the maid to bring him the first aid kit. 

"Hmph. If she had just listened to me, she wouldn't have hurt herself in the first place," she said with venom in her voice. T.O.P shot her a dirty look followed by a low growl to which she responded by bowing. 

"Yes, Master T.O.P." She left to fetch the kit even though she had a large desire to just let Sora stay in pain.

"Your name is T.O.P?" Sora asked curiously. The name was unusual and sounded foreign to her.

"In a way, yes. I gave up my old name after I changed. I wasn't myself anymore so there was no point to it," he answered calmly.

As the last words left his lips, his hand shot up as the kit flew across the room towards Sora. Her heart jumped at the realization of how close the box was to hitting her square in the face. Thank goodness for his vampire reflexes, or that could have really done some damage.

"I guess she doesn't like me very much." Her eyes darted over to the woman standing creepily in the doorway.

"She doesn't like anyone so don't be too offended about it," he said as he rubbed a cool gel into the top of her foot.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have even let someone look at her feet much less touch them. To her, they were large, awkward, and out of place on her petite body. 

As he began to wrap the bandage around her foot, she asked, "You said that you weren't going to hurt me, but why am I here?" 

Keeping busy with her bandages, he answered her question with silence. A sigh left her mouth as she reiterated her question. Once again, he sat in silence completely focusing on her foot. He wasn’t planning on answering her since it wasn’t his place to. She would find out everything she needed to know from the source. 

Her foot now fully bandaged, he stood up and stretched. A soft yawn left his perfectly shaped mouth making Sora's heart thump again. It should be against the law to be that attractive. No man, not even her first love had ever made her feel that way. Maybe it was because he was a vampire, and according to all of the romance novels she had read they were supposed to be drop dead gorgeous. No pun intended. 

"Well, I am going back to sleep. I am not much of a morning person. Even when I was alive I hated the mornings. Hyorin will show you to your seat downstairs where G-Dragon is awaiting your arrival. Don't keep him waiting too long or his kindness may wear thin." T.O.P gave a slight bow and sluggishly sauntered out of Sora's room. 

The maid, Hyorin, retook her spot in front of the dresser, and eyed Sora intensely making sure she wasn't going to attempt escape again. As Sora carefully stood up from the relaxing cushion of the bed, her mind wandered off. She was unsure of what she should expect at the table, but it looked like she wasn’t on the menu, for now at least. 

Before she realized it, she was dressed in a beautiful gown that gracefully fell to the floor. Her hair fell perfectly around her face giving a nice accent to her soft features. She admired herself in the mirror and gasped at the sight. She had never worn anything as extravagant as that dress in her entire life. For a moment, Sora felt pretty which was something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Hyorin, highly annoyed by Sora, placed her hand gently on her shoulder. “This way, Miss. Master is waiting for you, and it would be unwise to keep him waiting.”

Sora broke free from her gaze in the mirror as a slight blush crept up on her cheeks from her small moment of vanity. Nodding her head, she limped out of the room which she assumed made her look ridiculous. Following behind Hyorin, they reached a long winding staircase leading downstairs to the lower floor. Sora gripped the railing and slowly stumbled down the stairs as graceful as herself on the dancefloor after a few too many drinks.

As her foot touched the carpet on the lower level, Sora smiled and laughed to herself. That was one hurdle out of the way. Now all she had to do was make it through this meal with the vampire named G-Dragon. In her mind, terrifying images of monstrous men took over. She had no clue what he looked like but from the warnings, he appeared to be a force to be reckoned with. Sweat trickled down her neck as fear settled in again. Whatever T.O.P had done to calm her down was quickly wearing off. 

Two large doors slowly opened in front of her revealing a long table covered in a feast of food. As she entered the room, a figure sporting bright red hair became visible at the end of the outstretching table. His eyes shifted up from his red tinted glass as he sensed her movement. His lips formed a wicked smile as his eyes lit up. 

He motioned his hand to one of the suited men standing against the plush wall. He bowed and held out his gloved hand to her. Taken aback by the sudden change in hospitality she took his hand and, with his help, managed to make it across the floor with minimal effort. He released her hand and pulled out her chair which she happily sat down in to relieve her foot of the rising pain. After pushing her up to the table, her helper resumed his position against the wall standing perfectly erect and awaiting further orders.

“Welcome to my glorious estate,” G-Dragon said in a voice that completely took Sora by surprise. His voice was higher pitched than she expected and sounded slightly nasally.

“Umm...I assume that you must be G-Dragon then?” she asked quietly.

“In the flesh. Well, somewhat in the flesh anyway. I’ve been dead for a while now,” he laughed.

“I see…” She was at a loss for words. He was nothing like the images that filled her mind. She caught glimpses of him as they sat in silence that neither of them were sure how to break. His slender frame filled out the opened casual jacket. His face was smooth with soft features and would have been better suited on a woman’s body.

“Ahem,” G-Dragon coughed forcing Sora to lift her head and break from her thoughts. “Good. I have your attention now. You must be hungry after your experiences last night. Please, partake in whatever you see fit. We have multiple different meals from your favorite restaurants.”

Sora looked around at the large table of inviting dishes. Each one looked very familiar to her, and it had good reason to. It was exactly what she ordered at every single one of the restaurants she frequented the most. She was unsure whether to be amazed or frightened at how well they were at gathering information about her. The pain swelled in her foot causing her to cringe. There was no way she was going to be able to stand up and walk around the table. She settled on the idea of only picking dishes that were in her arms reach.

As she reached for the plate in front of her, G-Dragon watched her carefully. Something seemed off about her choice. Why would she decide on eating curry this early in the morning? There were plenty of other breakfast foods that she could choose from.

"Wouldn't you rather have one of those egg sandwiches you enjoy so much? The ones with the honey bread?" he asked as he motioned to the dishes a hair out of her arms reach.

"While that would be lovely, I can't really reach it. I--" she started then paused. 

Should she really be telling this man about her injury? She was surprised that he hadn't already caught wind of her current handicap especially since she was lacking shoes. She debated mentally about the chances of him using it to his advantage if she did. Then again, it wasn't like she had much of a chance uninjured. 

"I hurt my foot earlier running around blindly in the dark. I was startled and according to T.O.P, I may have fractured it," she finally finished.

"I see you met my right hand man already. It isn't like him to even be conscious this early in the day. Strange..." G-Dragon trailed off as he became engrossed in his thoughts.

He flicked his wrist signalling one of the other men to retrieve the plate of food she was desiring. He removed the curry from her hands and replaced it with her go to dish acquired from the small shop down the street from her apartment. The sweet smell of brown sugar filled her senses as her stomach growled. A pink blush danced across her cheeks as the sound echoed in the large room. A chuckle exited G-Dragon's otherwise stoic expression as he placed his hand over his mouth to hide his smile from her.

"Please. Eat. You are my guest after all," he said as he gave out a fake cough to stop his laughter.

Sora happily bit into the egg sandwich and savored the flavors. It was normally delicious but today it was purely divine. She managed to scarf it do in record time and sipped at the fresh glass of milk placed in front of her. The deafening silence made her even more uncomfortable. Why was he just sitting there watching her eat and not saying anything?

Before biting into the second sandwich, she placed it back down on the plate. This suspense was killing her. Why was she even here? What did he want from her? What use, other than food, was a human to a vampire?

Sucking in a deep breath she started, "I need to know. Why did you have me brought here? Why was I attacked last night?"

G-Dragon set down his glass filled with a red liquid she was assuming was someone else's blood at one point. He snapped back into reality from his thoughts and placed his chin on his fists as he looked at her. He had practiced his speech for her numerous times, but no matter what combination of words he came up with, they all sounded crazy.

"Well, it's a long story. As you can see, I am a vampire, a creature of the night. I have been cursed with an everlasting life filled with pain and suffering. I will go on to watch everyone I am close to, die. I want to change that and you're going to help me."

"Help you? How am I supposed to help you?" Sora asked as he left her puzzled. What he just said didn't make any sense. Didn't vampires want eternal life? Isn't that why they became vampires in the first place? Or was he turned against his will?

"Legend speaks of a woman born into the world every generation whose blood is pure. Her blood will purify those that consume it and return them to their mortal selves. We have reasons to believe that you are that woman,” he replied as he took a sip of his drink.

‘Me? I'm a legendary woman destined to help them? That's absurd. That can't be right...can it?’

“How do you know that I am the one you're looking for? I'm just a college dropout that works as a barista. It's not like I carry a sign that says, ‘Savior of the Vampires’. I mean, before today, I didn't even know you guys existed,” Sora retorted. 

“We left something for you at the restaurant. It activated partially when you picked it up. This either means that you truly are the one or related to a past one.” He pointed to his neck and then to hers.

Sora reached up and around her neck was a necklace with the coin as its centerpiece. As her fingers brushed across it, a red light burst from the center and engulfed the table. Sora quickly removed her fingers from the coin and watched as the light dissipated. Shock was plastered on her face as her eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. 

“Now do you believe me?” He placed his glass back down onto the table.

Sora, at a loss for words, nodded her head. G-Dragon pushed back from the table and stood up straight. Flattening out the bottom of his coat, he walked over to Sora who was racking her brain for a rational explanation for what just transpired. Her mind came up blank, and she jumped in her chair as G-Dragon placed his hand on her shoulder.

“I don't know why you were attacked last night. My clan does not attack humans unless absolutely necessary. We are looking into the matter as we speak. It seems like it was probably just some low level thugs needing a fix. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. I will protect you.”


	5. Chapter 5

As the words swam through her mind, Sora jumped up and slammed her palm down on the table, glaring at G-Dragon so intensely that he could almost feel the daggers. Protect her? That man thought he could protect her? Her heart pumped faster as blood rushed to her face. 

“I don't need you to protect me,” she growled.

G-Dragon's eyebrow rose inquisitively as he watched her unexpected reaction. He flicked his wrist signaling his approaching men to stand down. Why was she flying off the handle over reassuring her of her own safety? That statement should have given her relief, not anger. He sat in silence contemplating his next action and the best choice of words to use.

Both hands on the table, Sora stared down as she took in deep breaths. She needed to calm down and apologize to the man sitting next to her. He seemed sincere and was only trying to help her even if it was in his own odd way. She couldn't take this anger out on him. He didn't cause her this stress the last few months. This anger wasn't directed at him.

“If you would like, I can have you escorted back to your room. We can discuss this more later,” he said as he motioned for one of his guards.

Once Sora's breathing returned to normal, she shook her head. “No. I want to know what you need me for. I'm sorry about my outburst.”

“Apology accepted.” He motioned again and his guard returned to his position against the wall. “Now, you may want to return to your seat for what I have to say.”

Sora’s eyes widened as she sat back down in her chair. What was he going to say, and why did she get the feeling that she wasn't going to like it? She opened her mouth to speak but only a squeak exited. She cleared her throat then asked him to continue.

“Frankly, we need you to allow us to drink from you,” he replied coolly.

“Wait. D--drink from me?” Sora stammered. “But I thought that I wasn't on the menu.”

“You're not. This is all hard to explain. Legend has it that the one chosen to free us has eternal blood. That means that no matter how much you lose, your body quickly regenerates it,” he started.

“So on top of having pure blood, I'm also an infinite food supply?” Sora asked as she leaned back in her chair.

“I guess you can see it that way. We don't want to use you in that way. I need you to allow me to drink from you. If I can drink my fill, and you're still among the living, it will prove that you are the chosen one.”

Sora snickered and said sarcastically, “The chosen one? Could you be anymore original?”

“Is something I said amusing to you?” G-Dragon enquired from the young woman.

“Sorry,” Sora said as she cleared her throat. “So, let me get this straight. You need to drink from me, correct?” G-Dragon nodded his head so she continued. “But won't that cure you?”

“No. We can only be cured once the pure agent in your blood has been activated. That only happens during a specific blood moon. I am not 100% sure how we activate your blood, but that coin is the key.” He pushed back from the table and stood up straight making sure to readjust his jacket.

“Wait. You want me to consent to this, but you're not even completely sure how to do this ritual or whatever that you have to do to me? How are you sure that it won't kill me?” Sora crossed her arms in front of her chest as she eyed G-Dragon intensely. For a man that desperately needed her help, he sure was acting very calm about all of this.

“I’m not. I wasn't around during the time of The First. He created the original contract that gave us this second chance at a mortal life. He wrote all of his notes down in multiple journals spread all across the world. We managed to find most of them, but even so, it's very hard to translate. Language has evolved more than we have,” G-Dragon explained as he walked behind his chair and placed his hands on the back of it.

“Can't you just ask him then? He wrote them so can't he…” Sora stopped talking as G-Dragon shook his head. From the expression on his face, all she could do was assume that The First was dead. Great. The only man that knew what could potentially happen to her was dead; completely gone from this world dead.

Sora bit down on her lower lip as she contemplated her situation. If she truly was the one they were searching for, then what? Would she be able to even return to a normal life, or would she be stuck here under constant supervision like a prisoner? If she allowed this to happen, and they were mistaken about her identity then she was as good as dead. Both options were equally as bad.

“Wow. I have so many wonderful choices that I can make,” she said sarcastically. 

“You do not need to make a choice now, but you will need to make one by midnight tonight. I am off to the study. You are free to join me, or you can be escorted back to your room as I suggested before. Your decision, my dear.” G-Dragon bowed to her before exiting the room.

"I can't win…” she whispered to herself as she placed her forehead on the table.

“It would be in your best interest to just do what the master says,” a deep, soothing voice called out to her from the open doorway. 

Sora peeked over at the man and instantly recognized him as T.O.P. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she quickly averted her eyes from his chiseled looks. The soft patter of his feet against the floor continued to grab her attention as she tried her to best to ignore his existence. Why was he coming closer? As his hand brushed against her shoulder, she instinctively jolted backwards and up from her forlorn position. 

“Good. I have your undivided attention now,” he said as he walked behind her chair and situated himself in G-Dragon's former seat at the table. 

“You're not here to attempt to brainwash me into doing it, are you?” she asked apprehensively. “Because if you are then it won't work. You can't make me do anything that I don't want to.”

T.O.P snapped his fingers and one of the men standing guard against the wall immediately responded. The glass of red liquid G-Dragon had been sloshing around earlier was removed from the table. The guard bowed and exited the room. T.O.P examined the food on the table before speaking.

“I have no desire to make you do anything that you do not wish to. As a human being, you do have free will. You unfortunately are also our last chance of achieving our century year old goal. We cannot let you leave. If it's any consolation, I'm pretty sure G-Dragon can make a deal with you. If you don't give him any trouble then he'll probably be more than apt to give you eternal life in return. Assuming he is wrong of course,” he said nonchalantly as a new glass filled with unidentifiable liquid was placed on the table in front of him.

“You mean turn me into a vampire? I thought only special people could be turned,” she asked in a high, squeaky tone that didn't do much to hide her fear.

“You must be talking about those books that keep circulating. Contrary to popular belief, all you would need to do is exchange blood with a vampire to become one yourself. It would be quite bad for our numbers if people had to have a special quality in order to change. What person, other than one consumed with the idea of living, would wish to be turned into a monster?” T.O.P asked in a dead serious tone.

Sora swallowed hard as everything he said sunk in. Their answer was to transform her into a monster if they were wrong. Great. Just great. They would be better off leaving her dead than to turn her into a walking nightmare.

“What happens if I refuse?” she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

T.O.P sipped his drink quietly as he glanced back up at her. His tongue ran across his lips removing the small trace of red staining them. He flashed her a smile showing off his perfectly shaped fangs. Sora's heart skipped a beat as the man leaned in closer to her.

Mere inches from her face he said, in a low tone, “Then you'll be released and treated as prey. With your current physical state, you'll be way too easy to catch.” 

He leaned back in his chair with the same smile still plastered on his face as he chuckled. Sora couldn't believe her ears. This guy was serious about hunting her down like an animal. The last thing she wanted was to give in so easily, but what choice did she have? If she didn't comply with his request then they were just going to do it anyway. She was better off dying with at least some dignity still intact.

“Fine. Tell your master that I'll do it. I'll be his guinea pig,” she responded reluctantly. 

T.O.P’s smile twisted into a look of sheer shock. He wasn't expecting her to be coerced so easily. His intimidation factor had worked much better than expected. He expected a greater challenge than what she gave him, and he was almost disappointed by the lack of confrontation. 

He cleared his throat. “That's great to hear. I'm glad that you're being rational about all of this. Our clan sincerely appreciates your sacrifice.”

“Yeah. If you say so…” she trailed off as she sat in her seat completely distraught over her decision.

T.O.P watched over her as she slowly pushed away and stood up from the table. She glanced over at T.O.P with lifeless eyes. Her face was pale and completely drained of her former energy. Gripping the table, she hobbled across the floor. He remained seated as he watched her traverse across the floor. 

He didn't like the idea of dragging another girl through their mess, but his hands were tied. He couldn't disobey G-Dragon, and he knew the severity of what was happening around them. They needed her. Even if she wasn't the one, eliminating her as an option would make them one step closer to the right person.

T.O.P motioned for one of the guards resting against the wall to assist the young woman. As one of them grabbed her arm, Sora glanced up at him. Her heart beat quickened as panic began to fill her once again. She needed to leave the dreary mansion to clear her head. 

She turned back to look at T.O.P. Their eyes locked and time seemed to stand still. At that moment, she felt something inside of her snap. Tears welled up in her eyes as she jerked her head away and ripped her arm from the guard. Pushing through the pain, she ran through the doorway and into the foyer. She gripped the door handles and ripped the heavy doors open. 

Sunlight hit her face as she brought up her hand to shield her eyes. Waiting for her eyes to adjust, she heard the loud footsteps behind her. A crowd of guards and T.O.P stood in the doorway keeping a close eye on her. 

“I’m not running away. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I just need some fresh air,” she reassured them.

T.O.P motioned for the guards to return to their positions inside the dining hall as he pulled a pair of dark shades from his breast pocket. While the sun wasn’t a major threat to his existence, it still was bright and irritating. With newly shielded eyes, he stared at Sora making sure that she wasn’t trying to plan an escape. While he trusted her word, he couldn’t be careless and allow her to escape.

“T.O.P…” she called out to him softly as she slowly turned around and looked at him with puffy eyes. Even the warm summer sun couldn’t dry up her tears. “Why...why me? What did I do to deserve any of this? I know you don’t have an answer, but maybe someone listening does. Maybe they can explain to me why I have to be ‘special’. I was happier being nothing special.”

Her words struck a chord within him. “How can you say that?” he blurted out angrily.

His words cut through her like a dagger made of ice. His eyes, even though covered by the glasses, gave off a cold chill that made her physically shiver. “W--what are you talking about? I have all the right in the world to feel this way.”

T.O.P quickly shortened the gap between them and stared her down. “Don’t ever say something like that again. You have no idea what it’s like to feel like you’re nothing. Be proud that you’re ‘something’. Be happy that you’ve never truly hate yourself.”

Thoroughly angered, T.O.P quickly turned on his heel and retreated from her sight. The doors to the mansion slammed loudly behind T.O.P. Sora stood there flabbergasted by T.O.P’s reaction. She hadn’t expected him to be angry at her over empty words.

“Wow. I’ve never seen T.O.P angry like that before. What did you do to tick him off like that?” a curious voice asked.

As she looked up from the ground, she immediately recognized the perfect smile shining back at her. “It’s you! You’re the one from the cafe.”

“In the flesh,” he said as he bowed. “Well, for the most part anyway. Everything still functions perfectly. In fact, some parts function even better than they did before.”

He gave her a quick, smug wink before laughing. Before Sora even had the time to react to his obvious perverted comment, a book made contact with the back of his head. He reached up and gripped the back of his throbbing skull. His joking demeanor dropped as he looked over his shoulder at the man standing behind him. 

“Ah! Hyung, when did you get back?” Seungri asked nervously.

“Just now, but I witnessed you harassing our fine guest here,” the older man said sternly.

“I was just joking around,” Seungri said with a pouting face. 

The older man sighed as he looked over at Sora. He quickly looked away as a light blush brushed across his cheeks. His fingers ran through his teased hair nervously as he avoided further eye contact with Sora. If she had known any better, she would pick him to be the shy type. For some reason, she felt the need to introduce herself. She might as well considering that unless she died during this blood ritual thing, she was going to be around for a while.

The man’s blushed face grew a darker shade of pink. “Umm...my name is Taeyang,” he said quietly. 

After clearing his throat, he bowed to her. “Seungri, make sure you behave yourself. She belongs to G-Dragon.”

“I know,” Seungri sighed as he looked down at his watch. “Well, I better be off!” 

He waved to the both of them and walked past them muttering under his breath how G-Dragon always got all of the cute ones. At the mention of this, Sora blushed profusely. What did he mean by that? She wasn’t cute. Not even in the slightest. Plus, there was no way in Hell she was going to “belong to G-Dragon”. If that's what he thought then he had another thing coming to him.

Taeyang stood there almost awkwardly posed. He fidgeted and Sora could tell that he was uncomfortable. She didn't really know what to say to him and the awkward silence grew. Looking for anything to talk about, she glanced down at the dark book in his hands.

“So, umm, what's your book about?” she asked.

“O--oh. This book?” he stuttered as he looked down at it. “It's one of the missing pieces to the puzzle we've been trying to solve. I'm pretty sure you've been told about it.”

“Yeah. G-Dragon mentioned it earlier,” she responded.

Soft, red light from the gem around her neck fully engulfed the book. Taeyang stared down at her as perplexed as she was. A voice called out from the book, but Sora couldn't make out what it was trying to tell her. Her hand reached out for the book as if she was being controlled by an outside source. Something was drawing her to the book. Was it the necklace?

Taeyang handed her the book and watched as it opened itself once it touched her hands. Pages flew open until they reached a page filled with diagrams and ancient words. As Sora stared down at them they began to shift and change into the Hangul that she was used to. 

The red light dispersed and her body grew heavy. The book slammed closed and slipped from her hands. Her eyes closed as her world darkened around her. The shadows wrapped around her body as she fell into the abyss below her.


	6. Chapter 6

Darkness enveloped the young woman as she sunk down into its caressing embrace. It wrapped around her entire body, and she felt a familiar comfort. Sora slowly opened her eyes, but there was only emptiness. She called out, but her voice was trapped in her throat. Sora pushed herself up and began her trek down the dark corridor.

“Sora…” a sweet, feminine voice echoed around her. “I have been waiting for you. Come out of the darkness, my child. You don’t want to become lost.”

A small spark of light appeared in front of her activating the pendant around her neck. Red light exploded from the pendant’s jewel and transformed into a string of light leading Sora into the light. Sora swallowed hard as she gingerly crossed the dark floor unable to see what was beneath her. That is, if there was even anything there to begin with.

She crossed over the threshold of darkness and instantly became enveloped in a bright light. The darkness disappeared behind her as the doorway closed. The red light continued to shine leading her further ahead. Where was this thing taking her?

She took another step forward and as her foot touched the white ground a burst of color shot out around her. The world was steadily painting itself in front of her eyes. Beautiful green grass and flowers popped up all around her. Birds danced in the bright blue sky darting in and out of the clouds. Sora had never seen such a beautiful scene in her life. Everything was vibrant and surreal.

“My child, you shouldn’t dawdle. There is much to discuss and not enough time to do so,” the same voice called out.

Sora looked away from the captivating sky and watched as a lone tree sprouted in the middle of the meadow. Underneath the large king cherry blossom stood a woman with jet black hair pulled back into a bun. Dressed in a light blue hanbok that matched the sky, she beckoned for the younger woman to join her underneath the tree constantly sprouting more blossoms as the seconds passed.

Sora walked across the plush ground beneath her feet. As she stepped under the shadow of the tree, the light from her pendant dimmed until it was gone. Sora took a closer look at the woman. Sora noticed her clothing and found it to be quite odd. She was dressed in traditional clothing, but it looked like it was made out of crude materials. It didn’t look nearly as glamourous as the ones seen during festivals or in the historical dramas she watched on occasion. Why would she purposefully dress that way?

“Who are you?” Sora asked.

The woman opened her eyes and stared up at Sora. As their eyes locked, the sight made Sora gasp. Her eyes shone brighter than any emerald Sora had ever seen. They were kind and reassured Sora that she could trust the woman, but lying underneath the kindness Sora was a layer of pain. This woman had endured some terrible things in her past.

“I’m sorry. I did not mean to frighten you. My name is Eunhui. I know this all must be strange. I didn’t even have the time to change into something a bit more fitting for our meeting. Come. Take a seat with me. Enjoy your time here,” she said softly.

Eunhui pulled up the chima of her hanbok and sat down on one of the large tree roots. Reluctantly, Sora nodded and sat down next to her on a neighboring root. The wind picked up and blew a cool breeze throughout the branches of the tree making them sway above them. Small petals caught a ride on the breeze on their way to the ground.

“I can only imagine that you must be confused. I will try to explain everything as well as I can with the time I have. As I stated before, my name is Eunhui. I am...how do I put this? I am your ancestor in a way. We both have a special quality about us. We have both been born with pure, eternal blood. While we are not directly related, we do share this one thing in common.”

Sora blinked as she stared at her even more confused. This woman...she was like her? But was that even possible? Sora was still unsure if she even truly believed in this whole vampire thing or if it was just some elaborate hoax created by a deranged cult leader. That latter still seemed like the more plausible option of the two.

“Did G-Dragon put you up to this? I already told him that I would participate in his little ritual or whatever. He doesn’t have to go this far just to convince me,” Sora responded. She was hoping that Eunhui could give her some clarification as to what was really going on and end all of the charades.

“G-Dragon? Oh. The new clan leader. It sure seems that quite a lot has changed since I was there last. About three hundred years or so?” she questioned herself.

“Three hundred years? That can’t be right! You look so young!” Sora belted out.

“Why, thank you! I really did try to take care of myself when I was alive,” she gushed.

A pink hue came to the surface of Eunhui’s cheeks as she happily accepted the compliment from the much younger woman. Sora sat in silence as she mulled over what she was just told. Was this woman truly serious? Maybe Sora was just grasping at straws trying to deny the evidence right in front of her face of the existence of vampires. Sora sighed loudly. It was time to cast aside her disbelief and pay attention to what this woman had to say. Especially if this woman had previously been in the same boat that Sora was in currently.

“When you were alive? Did you get turned into a vampire? Is that why you are here?” Sora questioned.

“Oh, Heavens no. Though, that fate may have actually been a lot kinder than my actual demise. You are currently dreaming in a sense. I called out to you from the book. I opened your mind using an incantation from the book. During that time, I entered. It’s a good thing I did too. The darkness was trying to encase your heart when I arrived,” she paused as her face grew serious. “You must not allow the darkness to take over your heart. You must stay in the light. Once the darkness consumes you there will be no way to return to your former self. Then you will become perfect fodder for the ones who want you corrupted.”

“The darkness?” Sora asked inquisitively.

“Yes. The jewel within your pendant is stained with the blood of both good and evil. The evil that resides inside of it will keep trying to pull out the evil that lives within your heart and use it as an opportunity to consume you.” Eunhui paused as Sora looked even more confused. She pondered over the proper words before speaking again. “All humans are born with both good and evil in their hearts. Depending on which one they listen to the most determines their path in life.”

“I see. That makes sense,” Sora responded. This was a lot for her to try to process, and yet it all didn’t quite make sense. Why would the pendant that she was destined to carry contain such evil? Wasn’t she supposed to be a savior?

As if she could read the younger woman’s mind, Eunhui spoke. “You were born with the sole purpose of either being a savior or a source of power. Your power is a double edged sword. If you stay pure of heart then you have the power to heal and break the curse. If you should become corrupted then your body becomes a host for unimaginable power. If you are eaten while in that state, you will make the vampire that eats you immortal.”

“Aren’t vampires already immortal?” Sora asked.

“Yes, but they can still be killed. They still have weaknesses. Eating you would grant them immunity to all of their weaknesses and increase their strength by tenfold,” Eunhui explained.

Sora looked over at Eunhui and asked in a quiet tone, “Were you eaten?”

Eunhui grew silent for a moment. She seemed apprehensive about answering. “The answer to that isn’t straight forward. Why don’t I tell you about myself so I can lead up to that?”

Sora nodded and listened intently. Eunhui had already told her more than anyone else had. Though that was partially her own fault for not wanting to listen to G-Dragon earlier. Once this dream was over, she was going to have to apologize and truly listen to what he had to say. This whole thing was starting to feel more real with each passing moment.

“I used to be an ordinary woman. I had no special talents. I stayed home and helped take care of the household with my mother. I never married or even fell in love with anyone. None of the men would come near me thanks to my birth defect.” Eunhui pointed to her eyes. “I was thought to be a demon by the neighboring villagers. All of the men were scared that I would steal their souls in the middle of the night or that I was secretly a cat that would bewitch them if they got too close.”

“That’s horrible. I thought I had bad luck with men,” Sora grumbled as the thought of her ex popped into her head.

Eunhui laughed at Sora’s comment. “I am sure that whatever you endured was just as bad for you. I always lived by the saying that I should never feel down about my own life because there is always someone out there who has it worse. It doesn’t discredit my own hardship, but it helps keep me in perspective over what truly matters in life.”

Sora was mesmerized by this woman who looked like she couldn’t be more than a few years older than her. She was definitely wise beyond her years. She had extensive knowledge about everything going on, and Sora wanted to know everything. Maybe if she knew exactly what happened to Eunhui she could prevent history from repeating itself.

“Is there any way that you can show me what happened to you? That would probably explain it better than any words could.” Sora stood up from her seat under the tree and stretched her arms above her head.

The book, that Sora was holding back in the real world, appeared in Eunhui’s lap. She thumbed through the pages and stopped on a page filled with words that made no sense to Sora. “I think I have just enough energy to take you on a small journey. That is, if you would you like to travel with me and see the events for yourself?”

Sora nodded her head and reached out to take Eunhui’s hand. She helped her up from her seated position. The book closed and vanished back into nothing. Eunhui waved her hand out in front of her while speaking a language that was foreign to Sora. Crystal blue swirling energy formed in front of them and shattered. The splintering pieces spread out across the land.

Eunhui took Sora’s hand in her own. “Make sure to hold on tight. If we become separated, you may become stuck in the void of the past forever.”

At the sound of that Sora gulped nervously. She took her free arm and wrapped it around Eunhui’s slender waist. Sora was uncertain that she really wanted to witness what was on the other side, but she needed to know what was going on and what she was getting herself involved in. Since it seemed that she didn’t have much choice in the matter, she may as well be prepared.

Making sure that they both were secure, Eunhui called out another sequence of words. Everything around them started to melt and shift The beautiful scenery transformed in front of their eyes. Grassy fields changed to dirt roads, and the sounds of birds turned into people talking. The sun quickly set giving way for the full moon to take its place.

Sora looked all around and watched as a small number of people dressed in similar garb to Eunhui walked past them to return to their homes and escape the chilly evening. They didn’t seem to notice the two girls huddled together in the middle of town. Though considering what Sora was wearing, it was a good thing that they didn’t. She would definitely stand out and create more attention than she wanted.

“Don’t worry. They can’t see us,” Eunhui said in an attempt to further comfort the nervous Sora. “All of these events have already happened. Think of it like you’re watching a play, but you’re a background character that doesn’t matter to the story so no one notices you.”

“I see. Okay. I can do that.” Sora took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. She was the one that had the crazy idea to witness all of this so she needed to stay calm and not let her emotions get the best of her. Besides, considering all of the weird things that had happened in the last couple of days, travelling to the past was the most tame thing she had done.

A flock of birds shot out of a nearby tree and flew off into the distance. A blood-curdling scream followed their hasty retreat. A man lay on the ground gasping for air as a larger man was hunched over him with his hand wrapped around the helpless man’s throat. He squeezed his grip tighter cutting off more and more of the man’s air supply. He flailed underneath him desperately trying to pull the man off of him.

“Pathetic mortal. You think that you can fight me?” he laughed sadistically. “I could easily kill you, but you’re not who I’m after. I want the girl. Where is she?”

The man struggled to speak. The man above him lessened the grip around his neck giving him enough room to take in small breaths. Allowing the man to catch his breath, he repeated himself.

“What girl? Which one are you looking for? I’ll take you to any one of them just don’t kill me!” the man pleaded.

Another laugh left the stronger of the two. “You really are pathetic. No matter. I shall let you live if you can lead me to her. I am looking for the one with the eyes like emeralds. You should know of her. She’s very hard to miss.”

The man looked up at his captor confused. “You mean the temptress? Why would you want her? She’ll devour your soul.”

The man strengthened his grip around the man’s neck once again. “Why I want her is none of your concern. Just take me to her. Now!”

Feeling the pressure build in his head, he nodded his head as best as he could in response. The man brought him to his feet and released his hand from his neck. “Good choice. Now, lead the way. If you even think about trying to escape, I will not show you any mercy.”

“I--I won’t run away. Follow me,” the man stuttered.

Sora watched as the two of them walked towards them. Sora held her breath as her eyes met with the eyes of the terrifying man. A smile spread across his face flashing the sharp fangs sitting perfectly in his mouth. Sora froze in place as he passed them and followed behind the man in front of him.

“I thought you said that they can’t see us,” Sora whispered.

“They can’t see us. Come on. We have to follow them. This is where everything happens,” Eunhui insisted.

Time flashed forward as they sped down the pathway into the surrounding forest. Sora wrapped her other arm around Eunhui even tighter as they flew down the road at such a high speed that her feet left the safety of the ground beneath them. Whatever it took, Sora had to hold on. She couldn’t let go. The last thing she needed was to be trapped with that monster of a man. Regardless of what Eunhui said, she was sure that man had seen her. The pure bloodlust in his eyes frightened her, and it was taking all of her effort just to stay cool about the whole situation.

Everything around them slowed down as they came to a halt in front of a small farm outside of the village. A small house sat behind a row of crudely built wooden fences. The thatched roof caught Sora by surprise. That would explain Eunhui’s clothes. Her family must have been a small farming family with very little money. It made her less than adequate apartment look like a palace in comparison. She made a mental note to never complain about her apartment ever again even in the blistering heat.

The sound of footsteps grew closer. Sora and Eunhui stepped back into the shadows of the surrounding brush as the two traveling men stepped forward into the pale moonlight. The villager pointed to the house and reassured the man that the woman he was looking for could be found there. A small twig snapped underneath Sora’s feet as she took a step back. The man glanced over in her direction and smiled once again.

“He can see me!” Sora whispered loudly.

“That’s impossible. We’re in written time. Everything is set in stone. It can’t be changed. It has to be a coincidence. He must have heard a small animal near us,” Eunhui said in a soft tone to reassure the younger woman. Though, it was strange that this occurrence had now happened twice. Could it really be possible? Could he really have seen them?

“Well, I brought you here so I get to live, right?” the villager asked desperately hoping to escape with his life.

“Of course you do,” he said as he smiled again. He ran his tongue along the tips of his sharp teeth and chuckled. “You did great, mortal. Now, we just have one more thing to settle.”

“W--what is that?” the man asked as his eyes widened at the sight of his teeth.

“You questioned me earlier about why I would want a woman who was just going to steal my soul. Well, the thing is, I already sold my soul. She can’t take what isn’t there. That being said, I am going to bestow upon you a gift,” he said as he pushed the loose, long hairs from the man’s neck.

“That’s nice and all, but I really don’t need anything,” he insisted.

“You act like you have a choice. How cute,” he snickered.

He leaned down bringing his face to the man’s neck where he opened his jaw wide and bit down into the warm flesh. The villager’s face turned white as he felt his life draining from his body. He opened his mouth to scream out for help, but his opponent pressed his fingers into his neck crushing his windpipe in the process. He flailed and struggled until his strength dwindled to nothing. His arms dropped to his sides and his eyes closed.

“He just killed him!” Sora gasped. This was the first time in her life that she had ever witnessed someone die. It left a weird feeling deep down in Sora’s soul. Watching his life being drained from him was enough to cause tears to fall from her eyes. She couldn’t contain herself any longer. Even though she had asked for this, she wished that she hadn’t. If this all was really a dream, she was more than ready to wake up.

“I don’t want to see anymore. I want to go home and forget about vampires and crazy fuckers draining people for no reason,” Sora sobbed, turning her head away from the sight in front of her.

“Sora…” Eunhui grabbed Sora by the shoulders and forced her to face her. “You must watch to the end to understand. You must remember everything you feel right now. It will help you stay in perspective of what is good in this world and what is evil. It will help you fight off the darkness steadily growing inside you every day. Please keep watching. It will all be over soon.”

Eunhui understood more than anyone how painful it was for Sora to witness something so graphic, but it was necessary. If she didn’t become accustomed to the death of those around her then she wouldn’t survive. She wouldn’t be able to carry out the duty that fate had chosen for her. She had to break down her walls. She had to feel in order to control her own emotions. She had to build up the will to fight for what she believed was right.

The vampire tossed aside the villager and wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. He stepped over the limp body and walked towards the house. Blood stained the front of his silk, vibrant hanbok, and the pale moonlight shimmered against his long, jet black hair. If it wasn’t for the wicked smile he would have actually been seen as handsome, but all Sora could see was a deranged monster.

“My fair lady with the bright green eyes, I have come to take you away from this place,” he shouted as he easily hopped over the fence.

The sound of rustling stirred inside the house, and the door opened. A late aged man appeared at the door and peeked his head out. Once he saw the blood-stained man, he shut the door quickly and called out for his family to hide.

“What is it with you mortals thinking that you can get the best of me? Either you bring her to me right this moment, or I will kill every single one of you!” He cracked his knuckles.

“Eunhui, don’t go out there! He’s one of the night walkers! He’ll kill you!” the man shouted.

The door opened once again. This time a woman with long, raven hair stepped out. Sora instantly recognized her as Eunhui. She was even donned in the same garb.

“I am the one with green eyes. Am I who you are searching for, night walker?” she asked casually.

“Eunhui! Get back in here this instant!” the man called out from inside the house.

“Appa, stay inside. I know what I’m doing,” she responded as calmly as she could.

“Ooh. You sure are a feisty one, aren’t you? Blatantly disobeying your father like that could get you punished. It would be an honor to punish a lovely woman such as yourself,” he laughed.

Eunhui took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. His comment bothered her and made her shiver. “What can I do for you?”

“I need you to come with me to see my master. He is expecting you,” he said as he bowed to her.

“What does your master want with me? I’m just the daughter of a small farmer. I am of no use to him. I’m nothing special,” she said in as calm of a tone as she could muster. To say she wasn’t scared of him would be a lie. She was terrified, but she couldn’t let him know that she was frightened. She needed to stay as calm as possible.

“Ah, but you are special. Very special,” he said as he smiled. He stood up straight and pondered. An idea struck him, and he spoke again. “How about I make a deal with you? If you come with me I will spare your family, and they can live out the rest of their days in peace. I’ll even send a guard over to keep them protected at all times if that is what it will take to convince you to come with me.”

This monster was really willing to deal with her? Why? What did he want with her?

“And if I should refuse?” she asked. She was almost scared to hear the answer, but she had to know.

“If you refuse then we’ll still kidnap you anyway. We’ll also take your family and keep them as prisoners. They will become our food supply. We will drain them close to death, allow them to regain enough blood to be back to normal, and then drain them again. We’ll do this until they die from other natural causes. They will suffer every single moment of their pathetic existence. So, what will it be? Allow them to suffer or allow them to live in peace? It’s ultimately your choice,” he said in a low, sadistic tone.

“There is no choice in that…” There was no way that she could even think about choosing to allow her family to live like that. “I’ll go with you.”

The older man from before quickly bolted from the house and gripped his daughter’s hand. “Eunhui, you can’t do this! He’ll devour you!”

Eunhui caressed her father’s cheek as tears ran down it. She let out a soft chuckle as held back her own tears. “That’s funny. Every man that has ever approached me has said the same thing about me. I have to, Appa. You have sheltered me my entire life. I should have been married off with children by now. I was a disgrace to our family. This way, I can finally do something honorable.”

“Don’t speak such nonsense! Dying is not honorable!” he continued.

“She won’t be dying, Ahjusshi. She is far too valuable for us to allow her to die. She will be kept safe and sound. You have my word,” the vampire said as he altered his speech to be more formal. He was instructed to bring her back to the palace at all costs. Even if it meant that he had to suck up to a couple of sickening humans along the way.

“I must go with him. We really don’t have much of a choice. In your condition, you won’t be able to fight him off so don’t even think about it. You need to be here to protect everyone else. I don’t need protecting anymore. Please. Let me go,” Eunhui sobbed as tears flowed down her cheeks.

Her father wrapped his arms around his oldest daughter and embraced her strongly. “Eunhui…”

“I hate to break up such a touching moment, but your time is running out. I have to get you back to the palace before sunrise or our deal will be forfeit,” the vampire said impatiently.

Eunhui hugged her father tightly one last time before pulling away from him. “I love you. Tell everyone that I love them very much.”

“I will,” her father said as he stepped back from her.

Eunhui looked up at the monster in front of her. “You will hold to your end of the bargain, won’t you? You’ll keep them safe?”

“I will. I may not be many things, but I am a man of my word. They will live out the rest of their days in peace,” he reassured her.

The world around Sora and Eunhui flickered in and out. The scenery continuously flashed between the dark forest and the bright field. Eunhui held Sora tighter and pulled her closer.

“What’s going on?” Sora asked.

“We’re running out of time. The spell I used is wearing off faster than I anticipated,” Eunhui responded. “Make sure to hold onto me until we’re fully back in the other world.”

Sora nodded her head and watched the world around her spasm. A swift wind whipped around them pulling Eunhui’s hair from her tight bun. Her hair flailed around as the wind picked them up off the ground and tossed them through a small doorway. Both of the women landed onto plush ground surrounded by fields of grass and flowers. The doorway closed as they crossed over and disappeared into nothingness.

Sora propped herself up and asked Eunhui if she was alright. The older woman responded with a simple nod of her head. Both of them helped the other stand up and stood in the middle of the meadow watching the wind blow past them. Eunhui turned and examined the tree as the wind picked up even more taking with it the fragile petals of the cherry blossoms.

“Here. I want to give you a small gift.” Eunhui held out her hands in front of her own face and a small, green jewel materialized. She turned back to Sora and holding her hands out to her. “Please. Take this.” Eunhui beckoned for Sora to take it.

“What is this?” she asked as she took the jewel in her hand.

“This will help your mind process everything better. When you wake up you’ll be foggy for a moment, but then you’ll have full clarity. It will help you understand everything in the books without my help. Also, no matter how frightening everything is, you’ll be able to push past it with the help of this jewel. Press it into your third eye,” Eunhui explained.

Sora held the jewel up to her face and examined it. The color was stunning and similar to Eunhui’s eyes. Sora reached up and pressed the jewel into her forehead. Her body absorbed the jewel, and it disappeared from sight. When Sora looked back over at Eunhui, the sight startled her.

“Your eye! It’s black!” Sora exclaimed. Eunhui’s left eye didn’t match her right eye. While her right iris still shined brightly with green, the left iris was devoid of all its previous color and completely blackened.

“Yes. I gave you my left eye’s hidden power. I can still see perfectly fine so don’t worry about it. Plus, I still have the right eye if I ever need to use its power. It’s not like I really need them anymore. Remember, I don’t have a physical body anymore. It doesn’t hurt me to lose a bit of color,” Eunhui reassured her.

Eunhui’s body slowly started to fade into the background. “Looks like I’m out of time. I’m being summoned back to the book. We shall meet again at a later date. I can show you more then.”

“Wait! Don’t leave yet!” Sora reached out to grab Eunhui’s arm but her fingers flowed through her like she wasn’t even there.

“That’s right. To answer your question from earlier, yes. I was consumed. So, remember: don’t submit to the darkness. Don’t end up trapped...like me.” Eunhui smiled at Sora as she continued to fade until she vanished.

Sora stood alone in the middle of the meadow watching the wind carry more petals from the tree to the ground. “So, she was eaten…”

Sora’s hair wrapped around her face as petals circled around her. The last petal from the king cherry blossom tree contacted the ground. It created a rippling effect, and the world melted around her. The colors all came together at her feet and merged together before turning black. There she was, surrounded in darkness once again.

Sora clutched the pendant around her neck in her palm. This thing was trying to swallow up her soul, yet at the same time it was the only clue she had to solving her purpose in this riddle she was thrown into. She couldn’t discard it and would have to keep fighting against it. What a mess she had found herself stuck in. She just hoped that she would be able to make it out alive.


End file.
